Project Beneficiaries Commend SAfAIDS For Empowering Them With Skills

By Elizabeth Ndhlovu-Dumbreni

McBride Mvuri (far left) with some of the young people at Ndaiziva in Norton

Key beneficiaries of an Ndaiziva Capacity Development project, who were interviewed by a team of SAfAIDS partners as part of the Irish Aid Best Practice documentation workshop, expressed undying gratitude and solemn joy to SAfAIDS, for making it possible for the Norton-based partner to come up with life-changing projects in their town.

The project partners, drawn from DOMCCP, Bekezela, FACT Chiredzi, Ndaiziva, Betseranai and Centre for Sexuality and Gender (Pretoria, South Africa), were part of the week-long documentation training workshop hosted by SAfAIDS in Harare last week. They got a chance to visit the Ndaiziva offices and interview the organisation’s key stakeholders, programme beneficiaries and implementers, for the purpose of coming up with a mock documentation as part of their training on best practice documentation.

Speaking to the interviewers, the beneficiaries, mainly young people, indicated that the project has helped change their lives in many ways. One beneficiary, McBride Mvuri, who is 20 years-old said the various projects have helped young people stay away from drugs and other negative activities, a positive move that willl help ensure a significant decline in drug and substance abuse, unintended pregnancies and early sexual activity.

“I joined the programme two years ago and I have seen a lot of positive changes in my life and among my peers here in Norton. I have learnt so much about the disadvantages of substance abuse and sexually transmitted infections and HIV. As a group of young people, we choose to focus more on income generating projects such as gardening and poultry rearing. The projects keep us occupies such that by the end of the day one is so tired and has no time for drugs or other bad things,” said McBride.